A Symphony of Colors – The Golden Glow of the Kinkaku-ji Temple
The golden glow of the Kinkaku-ji Temple comes from actual gold leaves plated on the exterior walls of its upper levels. My heart leapt as I saw it luminesce in glory and grace.
The Kinkaku-ji Temple is a ten-minute bus ride from the Ryoan-ji Temple. The admissions fee for the Kinkaku-ji is JPY ¥500.
The History of Kinkaku-ji Temple
Meaning “the golden pavilion,” the Kinkaku-ji Temple came from the year 1397, as originally the villa of the powerful statesman Saionji Kintsune. In this year, the Ashikaga shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu purchased this estate from the Saionji family. The Kinkaku-ji was constructed in the year 1399 by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. In accordance with his wish, his son converted it into a Zen temple.
This original temple had always been covered in gold leaves. There are two interpretations as to why the shogun plated gold leaves on his temple. The obvious intention was that gold satisfied the visual excesses that typified the Muromachi (Ashikaga) period. Secondly, at the time gold also represented purity, as such it was the material that would mitigate pollution, negativity, and the effects of death.
Like so many of Japan’s treasured heritage buildings, Kinkaku-ji Temple suffered from fire destruction. During the Onin War, all of the buildings in the estate were burned down, but Kinkaku-ji was spared. Unfortunately, in 1950, a monk committed arson, resulting in the complete destruction of the Kinkaku-ji Temple, the golden pavilion itself. The current Kinkaku-ji Temple was rebuilt in 1955.
To prevent confusion, the Kinkaku-ji Temple has an official name of Rokuon-ji, meaning “deer garden temple.” Needless to say, it acquired the common name of Kinkaku-ji because of its golden pavilion.
A Tour of the Kinkaku-ji Temple
All of the touring at the Kinkaku-ji Temple are done outdoors. As far as I could remember, there was no entry into the temple itself. I arrived at the time it opened, a little after 9am. Once I entered the garden, I proceeded in a very long queue that took up all of the touring route. There are many opportunities for taking photographs at different viewing points, however, so there is really no need to fight with other tourists over viewing spots.
As with all other temples, the red foliage of this season presented a warmth so visible that it reached one’s soul. The visibility of the gold leaves on the top two floors was astounding. The pond beneath mirrored the shimmer of the gold, and this was very much the intention of the architecture. The temple was built in a raised foundation, to enable the reflection in the pond.
As amongst the group of temples in the complex, the Kinkaku-ji Temple serves the purpose as the shariden, which is the place of housing the relics of the Buddha. This is the reason why the Kinkaku-ji was not open for visits. It is not actually a site for meditation or worship.
The three floors of the pavilion each adopted a different style of architecture, namely, shinden in the first, samurai in the second, and zen in the third. Being off bounds to tourists, the second floor houses the goddess of mercy, Kannon. The third floor houses shrines and is specifically religious in nature as adopting the zen style of building, incorporating certain Chinese influence in the design.
Needless to say, in the many centuries that transpired between the temple’s reconstructions, certain features disappeared and some others were added. But there was effort to maintain the philosophical foundations that manifested in the building’s architecture, namely, a keen intention to create harmony with the temple’s surrounding environ. In that sense the Kinkaku-ji Temple remains timelessly authentic — even as a 20th century reconstruction — as a representative of Japanese architecture. Both the material and spiritual elements are one with the landscape.
No, the Kinkaku-ji Temple is certainly not the only example of a holistic fusion between a religious site and its surroundings. But when the gentle sun rays illuminate the temple in a late-autumn morning, the view was truly, uniquely breathtaking.
Naturally, all tourists will be drawn to the views of the Golden Pavilion, and everyone was absorbed in its golden glimmer. Yet there is a time when the tourist route (around the garden) would offer only so much in terms of varieties in views. You are essentially staring at the same building for as long as a half hour. Therefore be sure to admire the garden space as well.
Sources
The Wikipedia on Kinkaku-ji at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinkaku-ji
Engineers & Architects of America, Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan: The Golden Pavilion in Detail, at https://www.e-a-a.com/kinkaku-ji-kyoto-japan/